Giving the gift of sight
They reached out by starting their eye-care project for pensioners and learners, providing quality, onsite eye testing.
The Mercy Foundation (NPO) was established to service as many needy pensioners and learners as possible by providing them with spectacles.
A huge need for optometry services among pensioners and disadvantaged school learners was identified. However, the exorbitant cost makes it almost impossible to access this much-needed service, but The Mercy Foundation wishes to make optometry available to those in need. As a giving-back gesture, a partnership was formed between a caring optometrist member of Mercy Foundation, Jonathan Brand who has 38 years’ experience in optometry, and a manufacturing laboratory with a view to reaching out to these sectors.
To help the needy, they reached out by starting their eye-care project for pensioners and learners, providing quality, onsite eye testing by experienced optometrists to SASSA social grant pensioners across South Africa. Tests are done at old age homes and schools. A large selection of frames are available to choose from. Prescription spectacles are delivered within 10 working days at a cost of less than 70 per cent of general industry prices and where needed, referral letters are issued for specialist vision therapy.
At old age homes, the seniors make a token contribution of about three per cent of the general industry price. This includes the test and prescription spectacles.
“It is a little known fact that four out of 10 school kids have visual impairment, which seriously impacts on their ability to learn and ultimately their future. Our experience at various schools confirms this startling fact,” Dudley Filippa, member of The Mercy Foundation said.
This year Mercy Foundation did eye tests and delivered prescription glasses to 34 elderly residents of Witpoortjie Retirement Village, 26 elderly residents of Ons Huis Retirement Village in Roodepoort, and to 84 learners from Phatudi School in Munsieville, which is still ongoing.
If the community is willing to make a donation and help the needy, please contact Dudley Filippa on 082 454 2816, or email info@themercyfoundation.co.za or visit https://www.themercyfoundation.co.za/.
